


strawberry blonde

by maruyaaya



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Aged up characters, College AU, Danganronpa AU, F/M, Iruma Miu Being Iruma Miu, Non Despair AU, go listen to it i based this fic off of it, have u listened to strawberry blonde by mitski, i love them i do, i wrote most of this at 3 am LMAO, i wrote this completely on a whim, lmao im just trying to add more tags, no beta we die like men, no?, pls dont judge me its not good, swearing yeah lots of it, the only thing i care about is shipping miu with every character that breathes, theyre in college :)), this is such a rarepair oh my god, uh background irouma saimami and saiouma but only a little, write more content for them i dare you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:34:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27499513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maruyaaya/pseuds/maruyaaya
Summary: Rantaro Amami had a set schedule, but he wasn't exactly content with it.Perhaps, Miu Iruma could change that.
Relationships: Amami Rantaro/Iruma Miu
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	strawberry blonde

**Author's Note:**

> this is such a rare pair does anyone even ship this but me? no? well fuck i guess  
> i have a playlist for this fic :DD its short but it still counts;  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3pH0SvgFHRH99cPdVFbulT?si=Udyz-gsJTICwmwqH2j_3GQ

Rantaro Amami had a set schedule. 

He woke up and brushed his teeth before having breakfast. He went to school and followed his schedule to a T, only skipping one class a week. He went home and did his homework while eating lunch. Then he could spend a couple hours doing whatever he wanted before dinner and going to bed. And every night, without fail, his phone would start ringing in the middle of the night. 

His best friend, Miu Iruma, called every night at different times; usually 12 am or later. Rantaro would get in his car and pick her up from whatever shithole she had crawled herself into that night. 

Aside from his nightly adventures with Miu, Rantaro thought that his schedule was rather normal and we was content with it staying just the way it was. He figured, if it wasn’t broke, why fix it? He was happy with the way his life currently was and he didn’t need anything else. 

He’d always been surprised at how he’d become friends with the loud mouthed ultimate inventor herself, Miu Iruma. At first glance the two were polar opposites, perhaps their only similarities being how well they did in class. 

Miu was his classmate at Hope’s Peak Academy, a school for only the most gifted students. Most of his other classmates found Miu far too loud and full of herself, but Rantaro found her crude jokes quite funny. 

He’d noticed the slight way that Miu’s eyes glided towards him when he laughed at her jokes and that had been the start of their friendship. It hadn’t been a particularly interesting one, but Rantaro quickly found himself as one of the few people who could tolerate Miu. 

“Hey, shitface. Come and pick me up?” Miu’s voice echoed through the phone as Rantaro slowly crawled out of bed. 

“Maybe you shouldn’t call your only friend willing to pick you up at 2:43 am a shitface,” Rantaro laughed softly, knowing that Miu was probably laughing on the other line. He’d gotten used to Miu’s vulgar nicknames and at this point, he appreciated just how creative she could get with some of them. 

“Whatever, you coming or not?” Miu asked, no doubt sticking her tongue out as if Rantaro could see her. Rantaro changed his clothes and prepared to leave. 

“Text me your address,” Rantaro told her as he loaded into his car. 

“Already did, avocado headass.” Miu hung up after that last line and Rantaro quickly drove off into the night. Some might’ve thought it to be a nuisance, having to pick someone up every single night, but Rantaro found it quite enjoyable. 

As much as he would never admit it to her face, Miu was his best friend. Her nightly adventures were something that Rantaro would never tire of. She was the one thing that Rantaro was never able to account for in his schedules.

* * *

“$200 for you! You’re welcome.” Miu handed Rantaro a stack of cash as she loaded into his car. Rantaro’s eyes widened at the fat pile of twenties as he shot her a look, only for Miu to shrug it off. 

“Please don’t tell me you’re selling drugs.” Rantaro sniffed the stack of bills and Miu raised her eyebrows at his strange behaviour. Rantaro hid the money inside of a compartment in his car and waited for Miu to answer. 

“Man, I wish!” Miu laughed that same obnoxious laugh of hers that Rantaro heard so often, “for legal reasons, that is a joke.” 

“No seriously though. Where’d you go tonight? I literally have no clue where we are right now.” Rantaro peered out of his car window at a part of time that he’d never been in before. He’d gotten used to a lot of the bars that Miu frequented now that she was old enough, but the dark alleyway that Miu had emerged from was one that Rantaro had never seen. 

“Some sort of robot battle or something. A friend texted me like an hour ago about some robot fighting competition so I built a robot and won a thousand bucks.” Miu shrugged as if building a fully functioning fighting robot and winning $1000 in just an hour wasn’t a big deal. 

“Friend?” Rantaro raised an eyebrow, indicating that he wanted names. He figured a little research to make sure that Miu’s friend wasn’t a delinquent wouldn’t hurt. Miu didn’t exactly attract a good crowd of people. 

“Don’t be so overprotective. Kokichi Ouma, he’s in our class.” Miu lowered her window and stuck her hand outside. The wind blew past her fingertips as she let out a small breath. The moon was bright as it shone above them, a stark contrast to the dark night sky. 

“Thought you didn’t like him? If I remember correctly, you called him cockitchy.” Rantaro leaned over his window as well, watching the stars above him and admiring the rather empty roads. 

“He’s a lot different one on one,” Miu muttered softly as she stared out the window. Miu waved her hand back and forth as if attempting to grab onto the wind. For some strange reason, Miu’s words felt like a knife twisting it’s way into Rantaro’s gut. 

He’d never pegged himself as the jealous type and he thought it was good that Miu was making more friends. Although for some reason, he felt something burning its way through his chest. 

Miu’s faraway expression combined with the soft tone she was using made Rantaro feel _strange_. He thought that it seemed like Miu had a crush on Kokichi. Miu had never been one to form long term relationships easily so her little crush on Kokichi should’ve been a relief to Rantaro. 

“Do you looooove him?” Rantaro placed emphasis on the ‘love’, trying to phrase the question as a joke while still making sure that Miu knew he wanted an answer. 

“Shut up, I don’t!” Miu smacked Rantaro’s arm, laughing as she spoke. Rantaro didn’t think that he’d ever realized just how lovely Miu’s laugh was when she wasn’t forcing it for an unfunny joke she’d made herself. 

Rantaro raised an eyebrow at her and waited for her response. Miu let out a small sigh and looked at Rantaro, realizing that she could never lie to him. 

“Maybe I do. But that’s none of your fucking business, dickcheese.” Miu leaned back in her seat, staring at the night sky outside of her window. 

White hot fire ran up Rantaro’s spine. Was this really jealousy? Was he really jealous of the fact that Miu had a crush on Kokichi? It felt unnatural. It wasn’t even that Rantaro liked Miu in that way. 

The two were just friends. Close friends. And Rantaro didn’t want to be anything more than that. He was happy with friends and so was Miu. That was all there was to it. 

“I can help set you guys up.” Rantaro flashed Miu a grin and he felt something ache inside of his chest. All he ever wanted was a life with Miu. A simple, _boring_ life with his best friend at his side. 

Miu was his _best friend_ and he wanted to keep it that way.

* * *

“Hey fuckwrench!” Miu hung off the couch, hair dragging on the ground. She looked up from her phone and Rantaro took a seat next to her, sitting fairly upright compared to her upside down position. 

“Is that how you make insults now? A swear word plus some random object? Like shitpopsicle?” Rantaro laughed, passing over a large bowl of popcorn. Miu scrambled up from her position, taking the bowl into her hands. 

“Remind me to call someone a shitpopsicle later,” Miu laughed through a mouthful of popcorn, shoveling as much as she could fit into her mouth, “Anyways, will you go on a double date with me?” 

“What-“ Rantaro coughed as a popcorn kernel made its way up his throat. The question had come as a far greater shock than Rantaro had ever thought something could. More than that, what exactly did Miu mean by ‘double date’?

Him and her on a date with another couple? Him on a date with someone else at the same time as Miu? The latter seemed more likely, but Rantaro couldn’t help but find himself hoping for the former. 

He didn’t like Miu. Not in that way. Absolutely not. 

“I got a date with Kokichi, y’know _him_ , but he only said he’d go if it was a double date,” Miu finished, tossing the bowl of popcorn over to Rantaro. 

If he didn’t like Miu, then why did he feel so… frustrated. Why did his heart ache with the desire to love someone — perhaps to make up for the utter lack of love for himself. 

“With who?” one always had to be wary of Miu’s dates as you could never know whether it’d be a straight-A student or a drug dealer. 

“Saihara. He’s in our class,” Miu told him. The name was definitely familiar to Rantaro. He thought about everything he knew about Saihara — Shuichi actually was his first name. 

The ultimate detective and pretty handsome at that. Rantaro’d never been particularly good friends with the man, but they’d spoken in the past. 

“If he’s in our class, you should at least know that Saihara is his last name and Shuichi is his first name,” Rantaro laughed, flicking through channels on the TV as he searched for a movie. They’d nearly finished the popcorn and they hadn’t even decided on what to watch. 

“Oh whatever. You act like I give a shit about any of those… shitpopsicles.” Miu grinned as he spoke, staring at Rantaro to see his response to her less than creative nickname. 

“Yeah yeah, shitpopsicle, hilarious.” Rantaro bit back a laugh and Miu smiled, seemingly pleased that her joke had landed. Rantaro nearly rolled his eyes at just how excited Miu got at one little laugh, but it was pretty cute if he was being honest. 

“So, will you go?” Miu asked once more, waiting for his answer. Rantaro thought about it for a few moments. Shuichi was nice enough and he really didn’t have much to lose. What exactly was he going to lose from going on a single date? And he’d even have Miu by his side! There was no promise of a second date and no risk of getting his heart broken since he didn’t care for Shuichi enough for that. 

“Yeah, I’ll go,” Rantaro answered, finally settling on a movie. Miu nearly jumped out of her seat at his answer, spilling popcorn all over the couch. 

“Fuck yeah! You won’t regret it!” Miu yelled, sitting back down and crunching several popcorn kernels underneath her. Rantaro smiled softly at her antics, happy just to see how excited his one answer had made Miu. 

And Rantaro thought that perhaps he was already regretting it a little.

* * *

“I can’t find my fucking dress!” Miu yelled from the washroom, banging on the door to try and get Rantaro’s attention. Rantaro rolled his eyes as he adjusted the black tie around his neck. 

“Hung up on the hook by the shower,” Rantaro yelled back, waiting for the soft ‘oh’ Miu would mutter when she found it hanging in plain sight. 

“Oh- SHUT UP SHUT UP IM NOT DUMB!” Miu quickly shouted, anticipating the taunt that rested on Rantaro’s tongue. Rantaro bit back his sharp words and laughed, standing by the door as he waited for Miu. 

Miu stepped out of the washroom, strawberry blonde hair in delicate curls and black skirt wrapping around her knees. Rantaro took a step backwards, biting down on his lip until the faint taste of iron filled his mouth. 

God she was beautiful. 

She really was. For all Miu boasted about her looks, she never really noticed just how pretty she truly was. Rantaro’d noticed it in the past, he definitely had, but there was something about the way Miu cleaned up that made his heart burn. 

“The fuck ya staring at?” Miu snapped, grabbing her coat from the bed and heading to the door. 

“You’re pretty,” Rantaro told her, eyes staring straight at Miu. She looked at the ground for a second and it almost looked as if her facade was crumbling. Almost as if she could give a straight answer without hiding her feelings. 

But the moment was gone before it even began. Any former sincerity had melted away as Miu’s face stiffened. She’d never been good at compliments, really. Even the ones she gave to herself were hollow words of pointless praise. 

“That’s right, I’m fucking gorgeous!” Miu laughed, swinging her purse over her shoulder, “let’s get a move on!” 

Rantaro opened the car door for Miu (like the gentleman he was) and dropped into the driver's seat. The restaurant wasn’t too far away, but it was a decent drive. Miu cranked up the radio, staring at the blue sky that slowly began to cover with clouds. 

“Think it’s gonna rain?” Rantaro asked, stealing a peek at the dark cloud above. The sky glared down at them menacingly and Rantaro assumed that it’d be just his luck to get rained on during his first date. 

“Fuck if I know,” Miu answered, singing along to the soft voice pouring out of the radio. Rantaro didn’t think he heard Miu sing enough, not nearly enough 

He pulled the car into the parking and opened the door for Miu yet again (he was a gentleman after all). The street was relatively empty, save for two boys standing outside of a restaurant. If Rantaro was smart, and he was, it was pretty easy to guess that those were Kokichi and Shuichi even though Rantaro really couldn’t see all too well from this far away. 

(Perhaps he needed glasses since he couldn’t see two distinct figures from not so far, but there was no way he’d bring it up in front of Miu. One thing would lead to another and soon he’d have a pair of glasses on his face designed to see through clothes only since he really never could say ‘no’ to Miu’s rare genuine smile.) 

Rantaro held out an arm and Miu accepted it, walking towards the boys about as _gracefully_ as they could. 

“Heyyyy whore!” Kokichi smiled, the insult sitting on the tip of his tongue as he waited for Miu’s reaction. 

“Hey shitbug!” Miu retorted, throwing an arm around Kokichi’s shoulders. The two stumbled into the restaurant, their loud conversation not slowing for a second. Shuichi smiled softly at Rantaro, almost as if apologizing for Kokichi. 

“They’re such fucking children,” Rantaro laughed, his mouth twisting into a small smile as he watched the two walk away. Shuichi let out a laugh before motioning for Rantaro to follow him into the restaurant. 

“It’s endearing, really,” Shuichi laughed as he pulled open the doors for Rantaro. 

“You’re right, it is,” Rantaro added and there was something about the soft look in Shuichi’s eyes that was oddly familiar to Rantaro. 

It was something of an old melody, torn from the pages of pain and silence. A secret look that stared off into the unknown as dark as the clouds above, thundering over with the threat of rain. It was all oddly familiar. Like a song you’ve heard, but could never really remember the name of. 

Rantaro recognized it as a far away yearn of something which you could never have. That you knew you could never have. Something that the pain of not having only made you want so much more. 

Rantaro took a seat next to Miu, across from Shuichi. Miu and Kokichi continued in their conversation, as loud and abrasive as ever. Shuichi tried to start up a conversation with Rantaro, but none of it stuck. 

It wasn’t that Rantaro didn’t like Shuichi. Shuichi was kind, handsome, and funny. Shuichi was probably so many people’s dream guy, but Rantaro couldn’t help his gaze from shifting to Miu. 

It was an odd sight really. Despite the handsome boy in front of him who he was meant to be on a date with, Rantaro could still only focus on the blonde girl next to him. Miu Iruma, his best friend. 

Their food came fast enough and the conversation between Shuichi and Rantaro had never risen to anything above awkward small talk. They’d even spoken about the weather at one point. 

“I’m sorry, please excuse me.” Rantaro shoved his seat to the side, leaving the three others stunned. He grabbed nothing — not even his phone before heading to the restaurant doors. 

He stepped outside, watching as rain dropped from the dark clouds above. He didn’t want to date Shuichi. Not in the slightest. It was as if his heart ached with the desire to love someone, to love anyone, but it wouldn’t accept anything except Miu Iruma. 

And he’d tried to make peace with it. Miu didn’t like him. She was his friend. But there was nothing about her soft strawberry blonde locks or wide smile that made Rantaro feelings die down even a little bit. 

He hated himself for it. 

He hated every fibre of his being that wanted Miu. He hated that lovesick desire that ran his life. He hated all of it. He just wanted to be friends, was that so much to ask? 

“Rantaro!” As if on cue, a familiar voice rang out from the doorway. Miu ran outside, staring up at the dripping sky, “Why the fuck did you run away?” 

“I’m not running away.” Rantaro bit his lip, blowing a fly away lock of hair out of his face. He wasn’t running away. He wasn’t a coward, yeah? 

“You literally fuckin’ ran out of that resturant,” Miu replied, hands on her hips as a smile faded from her face. Rantaro watched Miu scratch at her fingernails, a nervous tick of hers that Rantaro had always noticed. He’d mentioned it, even warned Miu not to do it when she’d scratched so hard she’d drawn blood, but Miu never really listened to him, did she? 

“It’s not that I ran. I know what I want and Shuichi isn’t it,” Rantaro finished, fiddling with the silver rings on his fingers. That was a nervous tick of his, one that Miu had pointed out not to do, but Rantaro never really listened to Miu, did he? 

And then Rantaro realized that he did listen to Miu and Miu listened to him. With each time Miu mentioned not to touch his rings, he stopped. Each time Rantaro told Miu to leave her nails alone, she’d wrap a bandage around a bleeding nail. He’d never really noticed it, but they truly did listen to each other. 

“What do you want then? If you’re so sure, then what is it?” Miu’s words were sharp, her foot tapping against the ground as the only sound besides the soft drips of the rain. 

“I want you.” Rantaro’s voice was barely above a whisper as finally said those small words he had waited so long to hear out of his own mouth. 

“What?” Miu’s voice hitched as she tried to really understand what had just happened. 

“Miu Iruma, I want you.” Rantaro knew what he wanted. He wanted Miu and he was sure of it. As sure as he was that the sky was blue or the grass was green (no, he’s not colourblind). He’d never felt anything besides the soft longing of want for Miu. 

“Look, shitpops- Rantaro, I’m trouble. You deserve better than me.” Miu turned around for just a moment, taking a deep breath. The night air was cold paired with the soft dripping of rain — it almost felt like a romance movie. 

“What if I like trouble?” It was something that Rantaro had thought of before. Miu was trouble, he could admit it, but he liked it. His life was nothing but the same schedules. Miu was _adventure_. She was the one thing that could make Rantaro feel like he was really alive. 

“You’re Rantaro Amami; golden boy, perfect boy. You’re the boy that parents compare their kid to and say ‘why can’t you be more like him’ and I’m… well, I’m me. I get drunk too often and run off to bars in the middle of the night. I participate in illegal robot fights and have sex with the first person who dares to even call me pretty. I’m Miu Iruma, ultimate inventor and ultimately lonely.” Miu paused, voice hitching as she took a step backwards. 

“Miu, you are the only person who makes me feel like I’m alive! You make everything worth it everyday. You make my life worth living.” Rantaro took a step forward, looking down at Miu. He’d never noticed just how small the height difference was; barely two inches. Or perhaps, he’d just never paid any attention. 

“I don’t like Kokichi. Not at all. I only agreed to the date because he wanted to make Shuichi jealous. Kokichi’s nice, but he’s not my type. I think I did like him for a bit, y’know when I told you I did. But I think it was really just me falling for anyone who showed me any attention.” Miu’s words continued to spill, one after the other about how much she _didn’t_ like Kokichi in that way. Rantaro almost felt sorry for the boy, endless slander falling out of Miu’s mouth. 

“Hey, calm down Miu. Are you saying that maybe you would like me?” Rantaro asked, careful to phrase it as a question. He liked Miu, but if she didn’t like him back, then he would drop it. 

“Don't be dense, motherfucker, I’m trying to say just how little I like Kokichi and just how much I like _you_.” Miu broke off into a strained laugh, as if trying to pretend that everything was a joke just in case Rantaro didn’t feel the same. 

“Can I kiss you, Miu.” Rantaro asked softly and the wide eyed look of shock painting Miu’s face made Rantaro think that perhaps no one had asked her for permission before. Miu nodded, leaning in close to Rantaro. 

There is a moment when you will realize that nothing matters, but the soft feeling of lips on lips. Maybe time stopped when Rantaro pulled her in close or maybe he just couldn’t really think of anything. Miu was so soft — so _real_. Rantaro’s eyes fluttered open for just a moment, sneaking a peek at Miu. 

She was just kissing him, nothing but the sweet smell of what seemed to be love lingering on the air. Rantaro loved Miu, god, he really did. This was the woman he had loved for so long without ever even realizing it. 

And Rantaro thought that perhaps, he was really truly happy with Miu, the one person who made his life worth living.

* * *

Rantaro Amami used to have a set schedule. 

Now, he woke up every morning expecting something different. He brushed his teeth and made breakfast for two rather than for one. He didn’t run out the door with a frozen waffle in hand and instead sat down at his table, eating alongside his girlfriend. He went to school and he never knew if that was the day he’d actually go to class or if he’d run off on some sort of adventure with Miu. 

His life didn’t have a schedule anymore and he couldn’t predict what was going to happen next, but he liked it. His life was… _fun_. He could enjoy his life. He’d previously thought that ‘if it wasn’t broke, don’t fix it’, but now he realized that even if it wasn’t broken, that didn’t mean he was content with it. His life was better now — better now that he had Miu in it. 

Miu Iruma, his best friend; his soulmate. That was the one thing in his life that he knew would always be there and he wouldn’t change a thing about it.

**Author's Note:**

> gonna shameless self promote
> 
> instagram: maruyaaya  
> twitter: MlUSGF (yes its a lowercase L not a capital i because miusgf was taken)


End file.
